CASE Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma masquerading as REPORT orbital cellulitis ST Mak 麥兆婷 Albert CM Wong 黃澤銘 Proptosis is commonly encountered in clinical practice. We report on a patient with acute Raymond KK Tse 謝國璣 proptosis, eyelid swelling, and chemosis, which was initially treated as cellulitis. After radiological and pathological assessments, a diagnosis of large B-cell lymphoma was made. The patient died within 2 months of presentation. Not all patients with proptosis have cellulitis. Proptosis, especially unilateral proptosis, should always lead to a radiological scan in case of malignancy. Introduction Orbital lymphoma and lymphoma of the orbital adnexae are relatively rare lymphomas, representing 0.1% of all lymphomas.1 Lymphomas of B-cell lineage are more likely to be associated with symptoms related to the eyes and to have extension to the orbit than are lymphomas of T- or NK-cell lineage.2 The most common clinical signs of orbital lymphoma are proptosis, a slow-growing palpable mass, and painless swelling of the eyelids.3 This report is of a patient with orbital large B-cell lymphoma presenting with acute proptosis and eyelid swelling. The initial diagnosis was orbital cellulitis. The correct diagnosis was made after referral to the Department of Ophthalmology. Case report In late July 2009, a 70-year-old previously healthy man presented to the Department of Ophthalmology, Caritas Medical Centre, Hong Kong, with left eye swelling for 10 days and acute proptosis for 1 day. He had initially been treated elsewhere for orbital cellulitis and was given oral ampicillin and cloxacillin, and topical chloramphenicol eye drops, with no improvement in symptoms. At presentation to the Department of Ophthalmology, his visual acuity was 6/20 in the right eye and hand movements in the left eye. Left extra-ocular movements were limited in all directions. There was left eyelid swelling, proptosis, and chemosis (Figs 1a, 1b). Hertel measurements were 12 mm in the right eye and 23 mm in the left eye. Slit-lamp examination revealed bilateral cataracts. Fundus examination was normal for the right eye, but the optic disc was swollen in the left eye. The vessels were tortuous and choroidal folds were present in the left fundus (Fig 1c). Computed tomography (CT) of the orbit showed a large soft tissue mass (5 x 3 cm) with homogeneous contrast enhancement extending from the left upper nasal cavity to the left maxillary antrum, left orbit, and left ethmoid and frontal sinuses. Bony destruction was seen at the left ethmoid and frontal sinuses, the medial wall of the left orbit, and the medial wall of the left maxillary antrum. The left globe was displaced anteriorly and laterally, and deformed, resulting in proptosis (Figs 2a to 2d). Biopsy of the nasal mass was performed by ear, nose, and throat surgeons. Microscopic examination showed large lymphoid cells with round nuclei and prominent Key words nucleoli. The cells were positive for B-cell marker CD20, but negative for T-cell marker Cellulitis; Exophthalmos; Lymphoma, CD3, NK-cell marker CD56, and epithelial marker AE1/3. A diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell; Paranasal sinus neoplasms B-cell lymphoma was confirmed. Systemic survey with brain and abdominal CT and bone Hong Kong Med J 2010;16:484-6 scan showed brain metastasis with a 5 x 6–cm hypodense lesion in the left frontal lobe and midline shift. Orbital involvement of the tumour was progressive (Figs 2e, 2f). The visual acuity of the left eye further deteriorated to no light perception. The patient and Department of Ophthalmology, Caritas Medical Centre, Shamshuipo, Hong Kong his relatives preferred debulking surgery to radiotherapy or chemotherapy. However, the ST Mak, MRCS(Ed) disease was too advanced for either radical or palliative treatment. The general condition ACM Wong*, FRCSEd (Ophth), FCOphthHK of the patient deteriorated rapidly and, before any treatment could be offered, he died in RKK Tse, FRCOphth, FRCS(Ed) September 2009, less than 2 months since presentation. * ACM Wong is now with the Department of Ophthalmology, Union Hospital, Hong Kong Discussion Correspondence to: Dr ST Mak Email: [email protected] Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a high-grade lymphoma that commonly 484 Hong Kong Med J Vol 16 No 6 # December 2010 # www.hkmj.org # Lymphoma masquerading as orbital cellulitis # presents with systemic involvement.4 More than half of the orbital and ocular adnexal lymphomas are 擬似眶蜂窩組織炎的彌漫大B細胞淋巴瘤 of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma subtype, whereas DLBCL predominates 眼球突出在臨床上很常見。本文報告一名患有急性眼球突出、眼瞼腫 intra-ocularly.5 In a study of 128 South Korean patients 脹及球結膜水腫的病人，他初時被診斷為患有眶蜂窩組織炎。後經影 with ocular lymphoid tumours, DLBCL represented 像及病理學檢查確診為大B細胞淋巴瘤。病人於病發後兩個月死亡。 4.7% of all lymphoproliferative diseases and was the 眼球突出並不一定代表有眶蜂窩組織炎。如果遇上眼球突出的病人， second most common lymphoma.6 Orbital lymphoma 尤其是單眼球突出，應為病人進行影像學檢查以確定是否患有惡性腫 typically presents as proptosis or a palpable mass 瘤。 causing eyelid swelling.3,4,7 Other symptoms include restricted extra-ocular movement, diplopia, and pain. Decrease in visual acuity is uncommon unless there is optic nerve infiltration or compression caused by the (a) (b) (a) (c) (d) (b) (e) (f) (c) FIG 2. (a) Axial plain cut, (b) coronal plain cut, (c) axial cut with contrast, and (d) coronal cut with contrast computed tomographic scan of the orbits at presentation FIG 1. (a, b) A 70-year-old man with left proptosis, eyelid showing a large soft tissue mass extending from the left upper nasal cavity to the left swelling, and chemosis. (c) Fundus photograph of the patient’s maxillary antrum, left orbit, and left ethmoid and frontal sinuses. (e) Plain cut and (f) left eye showing optic disc swelling, tortuous vessels, and with contrast computed tomographic scan of the orbits 7 weeks after presentation choroidal folds showing progression of the tumour Hong Kong Med J Vol 16 No 6 # December 2010 # www.hkmj.org 485 # Mak et al # mass.8 Imaging is necessary to aid the diagnosis and of infection of the paranasal sinuses. This patient to delineate the extension of the lesion. Diagnosis was initially diagnosed with and treated for orbital relies on pathological examination of a biopsy cellulitis. Proptosis, eyelid swelling, and chemosis specimen because the most appropriate treatment may mislead clinicians to diagnose orbital cellulitis. modality requires both grading and staging of the However, the absence of response to antibiotics disease. It is generally accepted that local control implied other pathology, which explained the can be achieved with radiotherapy for lymphoma persistent eyelid swelling and proptosis, and later localised to the ocular region.9,10 Chemotherapy or resulted in complete loss of sight in his left eye and a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy finally death within 2 months of presentation. 11 is given to patients with systemic spread. Different Proptosis, especially unilateral proptosis, subtypes of lymphoma are diverse in clinical should always lead to a CT or magnetic resonance behaviour and prognosis, with patients with MALT imaging scan to exclude malignancy. A biopsy will be lymphoma having more favourable outcomes than needed to make a diagnosis of lymphoma. Clinical 6 patients with other types of lymphoma. alertness, together with radiological investigation Orbital lymphoma may be misdiagnosed as and adequate pathological sampling, are necessary cellulitis.12-14 Orbital cellulitis is an infection of the for correct diagnosis and treatment. In case of orbital soft tissues posterior to the orbital septum. In uncertainty, timely referral to an ophthalmologist is most patients, cellulitis occurs as a direct extension mandatory. References 1. Norton AJ. Monoclonal antibodies in the diagnosis of unilateral enophthalmos. 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Ophthalmic lymphoma: epidemiology and 5. Sjö LD, Ralfkiaer E, Prause JU, et al. Increasing incidence pathogenesis. Acta Opthalmol 2009;87:1-20. of ophthalmic lymphoma in Denmark from 1980 to 2005. 12. Nakajima A, Abe T, Takagi T, et al. Two cases of malignant Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2008;49:3283-8. lymphoma complicated by hemophagocytosis resembling 6. Oh DE, Kim YD. Lymphoproliferative diseases of the orbital cellulitis. Jpn J Ophthalmol 1997;41:186-91. ocular adnexa in Korea. Arch Ophthalmol 2007;125:1668- 13. Salam A, Saldana M, Zaman N. Orbital cellulitis or 73. lymphoma? A diagnostic challenge. J Laryngol Otol 7. Goldberg RA, Rootman J. Clinical characteristics of 2005;119:740-2. metastatic orbital tumors. Ophthalmology 1990;97:620-4. 14. Barkhuysen R, Merkx MA, Weijs WL, Gerlach NL, Bergé SJ. 8. Beden U, Sonmez B, Kandemir B, Erkan D. Bilateral Plasmablastic lymphoma mimicking orbital cellulitis. 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